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Looking for a nice string of books that will keep you guessing with every turn of the page? We’ve picked out ten Japanese mystery and thriller series in translation that you can sink your teeth into right now. Keep reading to learn more about the history of mysteries and thrillers in Japan and discover some new books you’ll be dying to get your hands on.
Japan has a rich history of mystery writing. Between the 1920s and ’50s, the popularity of author Edogawa Ranpo put suiri shōsetsu — deductive reasoning fiction — in high demand. Ranpo founded the Detective Fiction Writers Club, now known as Mystery Writers of Japan, in 1947. The association awards four prizes annually: the three Mystery Writers of Japan Awards and the Edogawa Ranpo prize, which honors newcoming writers with publication and a purse of ¥10,000,000 — about $70,000 USD.
Unfortunately, the number of Japanese mystery and thriller books available in English pales in comparison to the country’s actual detective-fiction output. Hopefully, with the success of Pushkin Press’s Vertigo imprint, more Japanese mystery and thriller series will make their way to this side of the Pacific. Until that day comes, here are ten Japanese mystery and thriller series-starters you won’t be able to put down.
Japanese Mystery and Thriller Series to Sink Your Teeth Into
The Decagon House Murders by Yukito Ayatsuji
The Decagon House Murders is the first installment of Yukito Ayatsuji’s House Murders series. Six months after Tsunojima became the scene of an unsolved mass murder, seven members of the K-University Mystery Club travel to the secluded island in hopes of putting the case to rest. Soon after they arrive, however, one of their number turns up dead. There’s a killer stalking the club members, but is it the same person who killed Tsunojima’s owner…or one of their own?
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The Devotion of Suspect X by Keigo Higashino
The first novel in Keigo Higashino’s Detective Gallileo series to be translated into English, The Devotion of Suspect X follows Detective Kusanagi and Dr. Yukawa as they investigate the mysterious disappearance of a Tokyo man. The vanished subject’s ex-wife is the primary suspect, but her alibi is watertight, or so it seems. Soon, detective and physicist will face off against one of the most intelligent criminals they’ve ever come across.
The Silent Dead by Tetsuya Honda
In the first installment of the Detective Reiko Himekawa series, the 29-year-old lady detective unravels a dark web mystery. Bodies, brutalized and wrapped in plastic, keep turning up in Tokyo. There’s no obvious connection between them. A dark web event called Strawberry Night might hold the key to solving the mystery, but Detective Himekawa has attracted the wrong kind of attention. If she isn’t careful, she just might turn out to be the next victim.
Ghost Hunt by Shiho Inada and Fuyumi Ono
Fuyumi Ono’s light-novel series isn’t available in English, but its manga adaptation, co-created with Shiho Inada, is. The series centers on 16-year-old Mai, who joins Shibuya Psychic Research (SPR) to repay a debt. Led by manager Naru, the paranormal researchers at SPR — which include a Catholic priest, a Buddhist monk, a Shinto shrine maiden, and others — investigate possible hauntings.
My Dear Detective: Mitsuko’s Case Files by Natsumi Ito
Set in the early Shōwa era, this seinen manga follows Mitsuko, Japan’s first female detective. Together with her assistant, Saku, Mitsuko solves crimes and combats sexism, one case at a time. The series currently spans eight tankobon volumes, six of which are available in English at the time of this writing.
The Kamogawa Food Detectives by Hisashi Kashiwai
Part of the healing fiction tradition, Hisashi Kashiwai’s Kamogawa Food Detectives series begins with its eponymous installment. The story here focuses on a pair of father-daughter restaurateurs who investigate their customers’ most cherished memories and craft dishes from them.
Lady Joker by Kaoru Takamura
Set in 1995 Tokyo, Lady Joker follows a group of five disparate gamblers as they concoct a plan to kidnap the CEO of a massive Japanese company, Hinode Beer, and hold him for ransom. Split into two volumes that clock in at nearly 1,200 pages total, Kaoru Takamura’s sweeping magnum opus draws inspiration from a real-life unsolved mystery: the Glico Morinaga kidnapping case of the 1980s.
The Master Key by Masako Togawa
Two of the late Masako Togawa’s books — The Master Key and The Lady Killer — are available in English through Pushkin Vertigo. The Master Key centers on the women who live in Ikebukuro’s K Apartment for Ladies. In the 1950s, the building is slated to be moved, an act which could unearth the grisly secrets buried beneath it.
Strange Houses by Uketsu
The first book in the series of the same name, anonymous author Uketsu’s Strange Houses calls to mind Diary and House of Leaves. Here, three people — a potential homebuyer, a writer, and an architect — investigate the mystery of a house with a mysterious floorplan, one that reveals hidden, empty spaces between the walls. What are these “strange spaces,” and do they have anything to do with the house’s last tenant, who vanished without warning?
The Honjin Murders by Seishi Yokomizo
To date, Pushkin Vertigo has brought six of Seishi Yokomizo’s 77 Detective Kosuke Kindaichi stories to English-speaking audiences. In the series opener, set in pre-War Japan, Kindaichi investigates the case of two newlyweds murdered in a locked room on their wedding night. The only evidence is a discarded samurai sword, which is likely the murder weapon, and the presence of a strange, masked man who has been peppering the villagers with questions.
Want more great mysteries and thrillers? Check out this list of global mysteries and thrillers, and this list of Japanese crime writers to watch.